Future communication systems are generally wideband in nature. Such communication systems will transmit and receive utilizing large bandwidths (e.g., 20–100 MHz). One of the key advantages of having large bandwidth systems is the possibility to transmit at high data rates. However, there are many challenges in building broadband remote, or mobile units, due to issues such as power consumption, signal processing complexity, size limitations, etc. Many of these issues are more easily addressed in a base station. Furthermore, different regions or markets may have different amounts of spectrum available for deploying next-generation systems. For example, an operator may have 100 MHz in one market (used to deploy a 100 MHz system), and only 20 MHz in another market, and may want to support both a 100 MHz remote unit and a 20 MHz remote unit simultaneously in the 100 MHz system. Additionally, an operator may want to enable both narrowband and wideband remote units to operate within a wideband system so that both low-cost (narrowband) and high capability (wideband) remote units can be offered to customers with the same infrastructure. Because of these issues, a need exists for a method and apparatus for transmission and reception of narrowband signals within a wideband communication system so that both narrowband and wideband units can share the same wideband spectrum.